As we continue to look for ways to grow our economy, it’s important that we fully utilize all of the innovative and creative talent we have in our country. That’s why I’m so excited to be featured with Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Shultz (Florida) and Intellectual Property Czar Victoria Espinel at the Second Annual GlobalWIN Luncheon in Washington, DC, on July 26 in the Library of Congress.

The GlobalWin event recognizes women’s contributions to innovation and provides a forum for women executives and thought leaders in academia, government and business in innovation-driven fields such as wireless technology , telecom, sciences and aerospace.

These fields, generally led by experts with backgrounds in science, technology, engineering and medical (STEM) education, have often proven challenging environments for women to succeed. However, as several recent studies have shown, there is a strong relationship between female leadership and corporate success: the workplace-research group Catalyst found that of the 353 Fortune 500 companies it studied, those with the most women in senior management had higher returns on equities by over a third as compared to those with the lowest female representation.

And women in the U.S. are increasingly gravitating toward fields where they can have a positive social impact, especially those that rely heavily on information technology.

In my various roles at Qualcomm over the past 22 years, I have seen first-hand how wireless is able to bridge the digital divide – both here in the U.S., and in some of the most remote parts of the world. Studies have found that, in particular within developing markets, women tend to benefit most from mobile services – in fact, up to 41 percent of women business owners in developing countries report increasing their incomes or professional opportunities because of their mobile phones.

Promoting innovation and mobile services, both in our country and abroad, clearly has powerful economic, social and environmental implications for women in particular — and for society as a whole.

Through policies that promote a continued commitment to fund basic research; ensure a strong patent system that rewards innovation; maintain investment in education; and increase access to talent — our government can incentivize the development of global technologies and solutions.

Imagine the benefits of empowering millions of women worldwide.

CareersPublic Policy40July 25, 2011Women, Innovation, and the Power of MobileWomen, Innovation, and the Power of Mobile